Revelations in Reflections
by Mana the Cat Magician
Summary: She didn't need the hair clip anymore because her powers were completely under control. Still; it was the only thing she had left of her once beloved mentor. Maybe that's what made it all the more hard to part with. Faithshipping, mentioned Scoopshipping
1. Fun at an Amusement Park

**A/N:** I'm back with another 5D's story! =D This was originally going to be a short, quick one-shot, but somehow, it escalated to over 13,000 words. O_o So I decided to split it into a two-shot, so if you guys decide you don't like it (sad panda TT~TT), you can leave early. The first part will focus on the fun the group has at the amusement park, just in case you're wondering where in the world did my summary come from. The second will deal with, well, everything else. So if you do like it (happy panda ^v^), you can continue on to the next chapter that will have that part. I'll leave the long explanations of the things I incorporated into the story until the very end, so if you guys get tired of my ranting, you can leave. =3 Without further ado:

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><p><strong>~Revelations in Reflections~<strong>

It was only a week after the prevention of Ark Cradle's decent upon Neo Domino City, but life continued to move quickly. Summer was ending, and soon, Rua, Ruka, and Aki would be returning to school. In order to make their summer last while they could, Rua proposed a get-together with the whole team. There were a few bugs in the plan. They had to figure out where they could go and when to, if they even could, get together.

Ever since the aftermath of the battle, the team had been slowly drifting apart. Everyone was always being preoccupied with something that made seeing each other all the more difficult. Yusei had taken responsibility of working on the Momentum project in order to prevent the catastrophic future Z-ONE had foretold, and with his tendency to overwork, tearing him away from the project was quite the task. Crow was rather busy at times due to his job, although he was planning on letting the Blackbird Service go for the newest offer of being a part of the Neo Domino Police. According to Yusei, Jack had been disappearing from their garage from time to time, sometimes not reappearing until the next day. Out of the team, Rua and Ruka were most successful in keeping close contact with Aki, but there were still times when Aki wasn't available. And not to mention, the blunet that once brought great entertainment to the group was no longer present in their team, only leaving an aching wound in their hearts.

Still, Rua was not one to give up easily. And eventually, he was able to get everyone into Yusei's garage one day for a team meeting.

Step 1: Get everyone together. Check.

Step 2: Convincing everyone to go somewhere. Working on it.

"I don't know, Rua…" began Yusei, already doubtful. For once, he was adorned in something other than his classic cobalt and ebony jacket, and instead was wearing more formal attire such as the blue button up shirt and black slacks. It didn't seem to fit Yusei very much in Rua's opinion. He wondered vaguely why he was wearing it. "You know I'm busy with the Momentum Project." Did working on the Momentum require Yusei to dress in weird outfits?

"Yeah, and the Blackbird Delivery Service doesn't run itself, y'know," added Crow, also in his lemon-colored uniform. "Not to mention, I'm going to have that pain in the a-" he paused, catching himself and Aki's scathing look, "Er, pain in the rear job, now," he finished, slightly relieved at her new expression of approval and the fact he managed to avoid cursing in front of the twins. "It'd be really hard to find a day where we can all get together and just have fun."

An exasperated sigh fought its way out of Rua's mouth before he could stop it. Why was everyone so pessimistic and shutting down his plan before anything had even started? "C'mon, guys!" he whined. "You're not even giving the plan a chance! Ruka, Aki, and I are going back to the Duel Academy soon! I want to do something exciting before being buried in work."

"He has a point," Aki murmured, and everyone's gaze turned to her. Clearing her throat out of nerves from the new stares, she continued. "Ever since we stopped the Ark Cradle from crashing on Neo Domino City, we've been drifting apart a bit." Her gaze dropped to the floor and she seemed to be a bit crestfallen. "Honestly, it's gotten to the point where it's slightly lonely. The last thing we did together was…" Her expression became pained, her eyebrows scrunching together as she shut her eyes tightly. "Was Bruno's… service…"

The air in the room had quickly been filled with tension at the name of their lost teammate. The memorial service had been very difficult. Due to Bruno/Antimony's situation of not originally being born in their time, along with his second lifetime being quite short, he never had the time to make as many bonds as he should have. However, there were a few people who agreed to attend. Mikage, Ushio, and, surprisingly enough, Sherry, were a few spectators of his memorial. His friends of another time, Z-ONE, Paradox, and Aporia were mentioned, as well as Bruno's alternative personality, but the team had focused mostly on the Bruno they had known and loved. Bruno, who always gave a laugh to the group. Bruno, who had helped them with the engines of the D-Wheels for the WRGP. Bruno, who cheered on the team during the intense duels. Bruno, who would be a member of Team 5D's forevermore.

Aki let out a shaky breath in an attempt to calm herself. Sure, they had not been as close as they could've been (perhaps due to her initial dislike of him), but he was still one of the few friends Aki had been able to make. He was a part of Team 5D's. She had lost a loved one before, but losing Bruno was a fresh wound to her already scarred heart. Aki opened her eyes, and found the floor in her line of sight. "A-Anyways, we really should really make time for special occasions like this." She turned to Rua, who still had a sullen expression on his face. "Where did you want to go, Rua?"

Rua blinked in acknowledgement to his name and looked up at Aki. "Oh, well, about that…" He scratched his head in embarrassment, and began to let out a nervous laugh. Ruka, Crow, and Jack sighed, used to Rua's behavior. Aki's expression fell slightly while Yusei's expression remained neutral.

"Don't tell me you didn't think of a place to go, Rua," growled Jack.

Rua jumped at the tone of Jack's voice and quickly made a shaking gesture with his hands while exclaiming, "N-No! That's not it!" He gaze turned to the ground as he scratched his head again. "The thing is, I'm not sure you guys would want to go there… It's kind of kiddish, even by my standards…"

"Where did you want to go?" Yusei asked, setting his cobalt gaze on Rua. His tone of voice was reassuring, giving Rua encouragement to continue.

"It's… an amusement park."

"…"

"I-I get it," began Rua, immediately believing that the team's lack of response meant that they really did believe the idea to be stupid. "The amusement park? Ha ha, right, I guess I was being stupid." He continued to scratch his head in embarrassment as he racked his brain for more ideas. If they didn't want to go to the darn amusement park, where would they want to go then?

"No, that's not it," Ruka interjected, interrupting Rua's thoughts. "I think that's a great idea," she gushed, her eyes sparkling in delight at the idea.

"Wha- really?" Rua asked, surprise coloring his voice.

"It's not that bad of an idea," Crow agreed, nodding his head, seeming to think of the idea. "I heard the rollercoasters hold some excitement, though I doubt it's anything _close_ to Riding Duels." He grinned at the image of riding his Blackbird while having fierce competition in a game of Duel Monsters.

"I agree as well," Yusei said, a small smile working onto his face, giving Rua hope that he might have actually made something work out right, for once. "I could probably ask everyone at the lab for a day off."

"Well," Jack sighed, and Rua held his breath as the last teammate who had yet to give his judgment spoke. "Everyone else is going, so I might as well."

"YES!" Rua exclaimed, pumping his fist in the air in exultation. Ruka giggled slightly at her brother's expected behavior. "Finally! Amusement park, here we come!"

"The amusement park…" Aki muttered quietly, seemed to be lost in thought. Once again, her voice attracted everyone's eyes.

"Is there something wrong, Aki?" Yusei asked.

"N-No! Of course not. I like the idea, it's just," she hesitated, her cheeks coloring a slight pink, but the reason for it was lost within the group. She sighed before continuing. "I've… never really _been_ to one. You know… An amusement park," she finished, bashfully turning her gaze to the wall.

"WHAT?" Rua exclaimed, slamming his small hands on the table, startling Jack slightly, who was drinking some coffee at that moment. He did, however, effectively return Aki's gaze to him. "Aki-san, you haven't been to one?"

Aki's cheeks began to redden even more at Rua's exclamation. "Well, I've been to one once, but at the time, I wasn't really going there to enjoy the rides and attractions and-"

"That settles it!" Rua interrupted suddenly with his golden eyes burning with a new vigor. "Aki-san has _never_ been to an amusement park! After eighteen years! We have to make this experience last for her! I refuse to let her walk away from an experience like that! I mean, even _Jack's_ been to an amusement park!"

To this exclamation, Jack choked on his coffee, and Crow asked with a bemused expression, "He has?"

"It's nothing," Jack replied sternly, setting his coffee on the table, glaring at Rua. "How did you even know about that?" He demanded.

"Carly-san," Ruka replied for brother, who was currently trying to repress his urge to cower at Jack's glowering expression. "We saw her recently, and we sort of just came across the topic."

"She's actually the one who gave me the idea," Rua explained, regaining some of his confidence back. "She said that even you enjoyed it when you guys went on a date."

At the word "date", Jack immediately tensed while Crow's confused expression morphed into one that promised that nothing good would come about of what was about to happen. Chaos was about to ensure. "Ohh, a _date_?" Crow began, mischievously grinning at Jack.

"Don't start, Crow," Jack growled, locking his famous death glare at Crow. Too bad for him that Crow was very immune to it by this point.

"When were you going to tell us, Jack? After you ran off with this Carly girl and-"

"It wasn't a date, you birdbrain! It was-"

"I think going to an amusement park counts as a date," Crow countered, his expression becoming more entertained as Jack's grew more furious. "Let's see, have I met this Carly?"

"Crow…!" He couldn't even finish a _sentence_ with Crow's annoying babble.

"Could it be that girl with glasses that you were drinking coffee with?"

Bulls-eye. Jack's eyes widened, as did Crow's grin as he took in Jack's expression. "T-That was-"

"You know, I didn't think she was your type Jack. But I guess she's pretty cute. Don't know what she sees in you, though."

And like that, they were off, bickering like they always did in days before. A month ago, Aki and the twins would've sighed as Yusei shrugged it off, deeming the two's argument a normal happening for the team. Today, however, Aki couldn't help but laugh while the twins beamed at each other. Even Yusei gave a chuckle at the scene. This scene was reassuring to the group. It promised that no matter how much time would pass, things would remain the same. Their bonds would never fade away, even in those dark periods of time where it seemed they were drifting apart.

* * *

><p>"Wow! Ruka, look at that huge ride!"<p>

The day had finally arrived where team made it all the way to the amusement park. It was a bit of a hassle getting everyone to get a day off from work or whatever they were doing, causing some arguments and tension to fly between the team, but now that they could see the brightly colored attractions and hear the excited screams emanating from the rides, all negative feelings had disappeared within an instant and an electric feeling buzzed in the air for Team 5D's.

"Amazing…" Aki whispered as her eyes widened slightly as she took in the sight of the whole amusement park. "I didn't expect it to be so… so…" She paused as she closed her eyes and took in the tangible feeling in the air. Her chocolate eyes reopened with a new light in them, and her face lit up in a way that was not unlike a young child who had found the stash of presents underneath a Christmas tree. "…Alive," she finally finished, and the twins could only grin at her excitement.

"Where do you wanna go first, Aki-san?" Ruka asked, tugging on the psychic's gloveless hand.

"Me?" she asked, surprised that they had asked her first, despite her lack of experience. She voiced her concerns. "But… I don't know which ride would be the best to go on first."

"That's the point!" Rua said, grinning largely at her. In a magician-esque style, Rua gestured to the grand scene before him. "Pick a ride, any ride! I promise, any ride you choose will be packed with fun-filled adventure!"

Smiling at the young boy's imitation, Aki felt a bit more reassured. "Well then, let's go inside. I guess I'll get a better look if we go inside first."

The group entered the carnival and bought their tickets. The excitement within the park was truly infectious, as the group was soon exchanging jokes and laughs as they began walking. Aki looked around, looking at all the rides, already at a complete loss what to choose.

"You know," Aki began, doubt already clear on her face, "maybe someone else should pick first…"

"Oh, just pick a ride, Izayoi," Jack responded gruffly, earning an annoyed look from the said girl. "None of them are going to kill you."

Her eye twitched slightly in annoyance as she turned back around, resigning to her duty of choosing the first ride. Her gaze was caught by a brightly colored sign and the shouts that were emanating from the attraction. How odd. Were they supposed to be crashing into each other like that?

"How about that one?" she finally said, pointing to the ride she was looking at.

"Bumper Cars?" Crow asked, in slight disbelief at Aki's choice. He honestly had pegged her for the huge spinning swing set. Still, he wasn't complaining; there was a lot of fun when it came to intentionally trying to ram into your friends. A grin stretched across his face at the challenge. "Nice pick, Aki!" He turned to Jack, a smug expression on his face. "Hope you're ready to get flattened, Jack. I happen to be a great bumper car driver. Almost as good as I am with Riding Duels."

Jack scoffed. "Then I have nothing to worry about."

The team entered the line with Jack and Crow arguing once again. While waiting, Rua and Ruka gave Aki the basic idea of bumper cars.

"What you're trying to do is complete as many laps as you can while hitting others in bumper cars," Ruka explained. "You're allowed to hit other people as much as you want."

"Eh?" Surprised by his sister's explanation, Rua asked, "I thought you were just trying to hit everyone. Who said you had to complete laps?" His expression became skeptical at his sister, a hint of annoyance in his voice. "Don't go making up complicated rules, Ruka."

"I'm not making them up," she retorted, giving her brother an expression that mirrored his perfectly. Twins… "That's what you're supposed to do in bumper cars!"

"No way! You're supposed to just have fun hitting everyone you can!"

"Then where's the point of having a track?"

"So you can skillfully maneuver your way around your opponents!"

"That's silly, Rua. You're supposed to race!"

"No, you're supposed to-"

"Hey," Yusei interrupted, and the twins and Aki turned to Yusei. "You two are going to have to ride with Aki and me." He gestured to a sign with an arrow. It was the infamous height requirement sign. "I don't think you're tall enough…"

"What!" Rua exclaimed in indignation. "What're you talking about, Yusei! I'm tall enough!" He quickly lined up to the sign, puffing his chest out slightly in an attempt to make himself stand straighter and rise a few centimeters. His efforts, unfortunately, were in vain.

"Sorry, Rua," Yusei responded after double-checking his assessment. "You're just a few centimeters short." With that, Rua had a very comical expression that was a mixture of disbelief and embarrassment. He couldn't believe that he could help save the world twice, yet not be allowed to drive an attraction because he was too short. And he wasn't even short! He considered himself to be average height! Seeing his expression, Yusei said, "It's alright, Rua. You're not short."

Rua's features scrunched up due to his dislike towards the idea that he wasn't allowed to drive; still, he would get to ride with Yusei, and surely he would hit some people for him. "Okay," he said finally, sighing in defeat.

"I'll take Ruka," Aki confirmed, smiling at Ruka.

"Be careful, Rua, Yusei," Ruka warned, as she beamed at the two boys with a slight mischievous glint in her eyes. "You two better watch yourselves, or Aki-san and I just might run you off course."

Her prediction caused Aki and Yusei to laugh lightly, but Rua took her comment seriously and responded to the challenge. "No way! Yusei and I are going to hit you guys so many times, your heads will be spinning!"

They finally made their way to the front of the line, and the group quickly dispersed to the far corners of the track, choosing a bumper car of their liking. As Aki and Ruka climbed into an ivory car, Aki couldn't help but check the car's interior.

"Ruka?" Aki asked tentatively.

"Yes, Aki-san?"

"This is the accelerator, right?" She asked, pointing to the lone black pedal lying at the bottom of their car.

"Yeah, it should be," Ruka replied, nodding. "Why?"

"Well, if that's the accelerator… Then where's the brake?"

Ruka stared at her older sister figure for a moment. She really had never gone to an amusement park, or anything like it. She hoped the claw Signer wouldn't take the upcoming revelation too badly. "Um, Aki-san…" she began gently, "there are no breaks…"

And with a loud siren, the bumper cars started to move despite the fact Aki had not yet pressed the accelerator.

Despite the fact that she had been initially overwhelmed by the fact that the bumper car had decided to accelerate for a few moments without her consent or even the command from the acceleration pedal, the ride had turned out to be quite enjoyable.

Once she had gotten used to the maneuvering, she and Ruka began hunting for victims to hit along the track. They had first came up behind Yusei and Rua and hit the two hard enough that Rua had let out a strangled yell that caused the two girls to fall into a fit of laughter. However, that had changed when Crow had taken advantage of their distraction and rammed into their side. This provoked the girls into the challenge, and the duo was out for his blood. Eventually they got payback by, not only running into Crow, but causing Crow to hit Jack. Sadly, Crow didn't think it was Aki and Ruka's handiwork, but that Jack had somehow hit Crow intentionally. This had led to the two men begin a rivalry, which Aki and Ruka had watched with amused expression on their faces until Yusei and Rua came up from the behind and got them back as well.

The rest of the morning was amazing for Aki. They traveled from ride to ride, rotating between the team members to make the choice of the next ride. Crow seemed to have enjoyed the Spinning Swing Set more than he let on, while Jack had been completely expressionless, if not completely bored, on the Bungee Cord Leap, which Aki couldn't even believe, as she was screaming for her life. The Tilt-a-Whirl hadn't gone well in Aki's opinion, as she could have been seen clutching the trash can after the ride like a lifeline. The twins had even convinced her to ride the Merry-Go-Round, insisting that everyone had to ride it at least once in their lifetime, even if they were no longer a kid. Eventually, the teamed worked up to the biggest attraction of the park: _The Kamikaze_.

The Kamikaze was the biggest rollercoaster of the park. With intense drops, insane speeds, and gravity-defying barrel rolls and loop-de-loops, it was easy to see why it was the star of the whole theme park.

There was a silent agreement between the crew that they all thought that Aki would at least be a bit tense when it came to riding the rollercoaster, but they were greeted with a big surprise to find out it was the one Aki was most excited for.

"Whenever I heard about amusement parks, rollercoasters were always brought up," she explained after Rua had asked her about her perplexing calmness. "I always had wanted to experience them, and thanks to you, Rua, I finally get the chance." She beamed at the young boy, who was utterly bewildered by her comment.

"Me?" he questioned, pointing to himself with a baffled expression.

"Rua," Aki began, "if it weren't for you, we wouldn't be here having such a memorable day here."

"Yeah!" Crow had suddenly popped into the conversation, moving next to Aki as the line moved forward. "It was a great idea, Rua. We all needed a stress reliever." He grinned as he rubbed the boy's teal hair together, effectively messing it up and causing the young boy to whine at his actions.

"You reminded us of a lot of things, Rua," Yusei stated as Rua was fixing his hair. "You reminded us how important it is to take a few breaks sometimes, as well as keep in touch with good friends." One of his rare smiles appeared on his tanned face. "You did well, Rua."

Rua stared at his older brother figure for a few moments before grinning and rubbing the back of his head bashfully. "Well," he drawled, "it was nothing. I just wanted to get the group together for some fun time before we went back to school."

"Nonetheless, we're all grateful." The group stared at the blond who had joined in on the conversation suddenly, surprised by his uncharacteristic comment. Jack glowered at the group's staring, and retorted in an irritated tone, "There's no need for staring!"

"Well, what do you know…" Crow said, and the group knew that another mocking remark was making its way through Crow's mouth. "The King actually has a heart."

Jack didn't say much after that.

* * *

><p>After riding The Kamikaze twice in a row, the group decided it was an excellent time to stop for lunch. They all paid separately for their meal choices (except for Rua and Ruka, as Aki had insisted to pay for the twins despite their attempts of trying to dissuade her). Aki had bought her food and the twins first and sat down at the table. The twins, however, had only placed their food down before they ran off, saying they had seen a quick game they wanted to play. Aki sat down at the table and began to eat alone, until Yusei had arrived at the table next.<p>

The pair continued eating in silence, not making much chit chat as they waited for the others. Whether it was due to Aki's shyness when it came to being alone with Yusei, or his natural quiet, Aki couldn't help but feel slightly awkward, and averted her gaze elsewhere. While sipping on her drink, she felt the weight of someone's stare on her. Her gaze gravitated to her observer, and was surprised to find Yusei looking at her with his ocean blue eyes. "Is there something wrong Yusei?

He blinked once as if surprised by the call of his name. Aki knew he didn't mean to stare at her for a long time, but she would be lying if she said she wasn't pleased. "No," he said after a moment of hesitation, "I just noticed…" His eyes traveled to her neck, and his expression grew thoughtful. "Your hair is getting longer…"

"Oh…" Her hand traveled to her hair, and she ran her fingers softly through it. She hadn't expected Yusei to notice something like her hair length, but in hindsight, it was completely like him to notice everything. It was one of the traits that made it a simple task for him to be a scientist, she mused internally. "Yes," she continued after a few moments of thought. "I've decided to grow it out."

Something in his cerulean eyes flickered, but it disappeared before Aki could try and read it. That was the only way you could tell what Yusei was thinking sometimes. With such a stoic expression all the time, it was surprising how much you could catch if you looked into his eyes. "I think it would look nice, Aki," he responded, a hint of a smile growing at the corners of his mouth.

His compliment made her heart flutter in joy, and a smile worked its way onto her face despite her valiant effort to repress it. She wondered if she was blushing bright enough for Yusei to notice. "Thank you…"

"It's nothing. I'm simply stating what I believe," Yusei said as his eyes flickered to the top of her head. "But do you plan on continuing to use your power inhibitor as a clip?"

Her feelings of contentment quickly disappeared at the mention of her hair clip, and her expression immediately darkened and became guarded by reflex. Her hair clip was a touchy topic, even if she didn't want it to be.

Yusei saw the sudden change in Aki's demeanor and knew immediately that he had touched upon an old scar of hers. Remorse flooded through Yusei as he saw her eyebrows knit together, knowing she usually made that expression when she was thinking of a painful part of her past. Namely, Divine. "I'm sorry. That was tactless."

"N-No…" Aki forced a smile in an attempt to assure Yusei that he didn't upset her. "It's fine. I… I'm not sure yet, honestly." Her smile quickly faded, and she berated herself internally. It's been almost two years. Surely by now she should have let go of any kind of feelings she had towards her old mentor. Her love for him had died out long since, but that didn't change the fact she couldn't get rid of her clip. It was a memento of the Divine she had cared deeply for.

Aki felt a gentle pressure on her hands, and with great surprise, found that Yusei had placed his hands upon hers. "It's okay." He gave a gentle squeeze, and she felt a tingling sensation within her hands. His normally intense cobalt eyes seemed to have softened as he looked at her. "I understand."

She felt her heart pick up as she stared into his eyes again and couldn't help but give a grateful smile back to Yusei. He always made her feel wonderful. Those two words were a life saver to her. Whenever she felt as if she were about to drown from her insecurities, her misgivings, her dark past_, _he would say those two words, and Yusei was able to pull her out of the murky waters once again. Sometimes, the feeling like she was forgiven and saved was so overwhelming it almost made her want to cry. It always felt like a great burden was lifted, and Aki always believed Yusei to be a blessing from the heavens.

It was no wonder why she loved him.

"Thank you," she repeated, her chocolate colored eyes sparkling. "You always understand…"

Before either could say anything else, both were suddenly jolted out of their moment when Crow slammed food onto the table.

"Oi!" he cried with a scandalizing tone as the pair removed their hands from the table. Aki placed a hand on her rapidly beating heart, attempting to calm herself from the sudden drop back to reality.

Crow pulled up a chair to the table and sat down as Rua and Ruka started coming back from wherever they ran off to. "Look, you guys can ride the Tunnel of Love later, but if you don't mind, I'm starving!" He grinned broadly at the pair as he watched them squirm with discomfort. "And I'd rather not watch you two make googly eyes while I try to eat."

Despite the fact that she her face was bright red, Aki could still pull of a pretty mean glare.

* * *

><p>The rest of the day had passed by quickly, most likely due to the amount of fun the group was having. The team had stopped by a few more interesting rides, and eventually reached the carnival games. There had been fierce competitions between the team when it came to these games, making the games all the more fun. It had also been very interesting when the Ruka asked Yusei to win Aki a stuffed animal after she was presented with a stuffed animal of Regulus the White Lion by her brother.<p>

"It'd be really sweet!" she had said, her amber eyes twinkled when she had spoken to Yusei. "I think Aki-san would really love it. She'd have a memento of coming here with everyone. And if it's a gift from you…" She left her unfinished sentence hang in the air as the two turned their gaze to Aki and Rua playing a fierce game of Whack-a-Mole.

Before Yusei could reply, Crow interrupted their discussion by saying, "If you won't, Yusei, I wouldn't mind winning one for Aki. I do happen to owe her."

Judging by his joking tone and laughing expression, Crow was only joking and egging Yusei on; however, the said Signer had suddenly become noticeably colder towards Crow, and had made his way towards one of the game booths where you could stuffed animals in shapes of duel monsters were offered and had won a Black Rose Dragon plush toy in a matter of moments.

Crow and Ruka had exchanged looks. Crow's expression was full of surprise towards Yusei's reaction, but Ruka was smiling brightly at Yusei's slightly possessive gesture. She wondered vaguely if Zora's son, Leo, ever came to be on good terms with Yusei.

Eventually, the sun began to descend from the sky, and the team began to ready themselves to head home. Before they left, however, the twins presented Aki with a small black pouch. Aki blinked in surprise, and turned to the twins.

"What's this?" she asked, surprised by the gesture.

"A gift!" Ruka replied as her brother beamed beside her. "We saw it in a crane game, and we just had to get it for you."

"It took a few tries," Rua said, but he seemed to think about it before shaking his head. "Okay, it took a lot of tries. Crane games are always harder than they look, and it was really hard trying to pick that up. But anyways, open it!"

Aki obeyed Rua's command, and a black and magenta headband fell out of the pouch. Her eyes widened, and she looked back at the twins. "You… got me a headband?"

"We noticed how you're still using your clip, Aki-san." Aki tensed once again, but said nothing as the Ruka continued speaking. "We thought that might be because you haven't got any other clips, so we decided to get you that."

"You know," Rua continued, not noticing Aki's troubled expression, "for when you finally get rid of it!"

Aki's cinnamon eyes flashed with almost an angry look, but it quickly disappeared as she looked back at the hair accessory. She knew the twins meant well, and they didn't know what the clip meant to her. No one but herself did, really. She looked over it thoughtfully. It was kind of cute, and the thought behind the gift was touching. Aki let go of her negative feelings and smiled towards the two children.

"Thank you. I like it a lot, and it could be really useful."

The twins smiled at her, and Aki allowed the loving feeling she felt towards them flow through her. They were adorable, sweet little children. She wouldn't mind adopting them to be her true younger siblings if given the chance. To her, they were reminders, beacons of hope that there was a beautiful innocence still within the world despite the darkness she had seen in her past days.

The group stopped momentarily before the exit for last minute bathroom breaks. Rua looked around the park one last time and saw one attraction they hadn't gone to, and it was the one he had been looking for the entire time.

"Hey guys!" Rua called, attracting the attention of everyone minus Yusei, who was currently in the bathroom. "Can we look at one more attraction?"

"Rua, we really should be leaving soon," his sister chided with a disapproving expression at her brother's behavior.

"Aww, c'mon!" Rua whined. "Real quick! I wanna go to the House of Mirrors!"

A sigh escaped from Crow. He wasn't much for discipline, but he did have priorities. "Rua, my shift starts soon, and I really need to get back to the garage soon." He began scratching his head at Rua's sullen expression, feeling guilty. "We don't exactly have time to-"

"No," Aki interrupted. The group turned to her. "We'll make it quick. I'll even go with them, that way I can keep track of time. We won't be more than ten minutes."

Jack and Crow exchanged looks, before turning back to Aki. "Alright then," Crow replied, giving in. "Make it quick though, guys!"

"Alright!" Rua cheered, pumping a fist into the air. "Thanks, Aki-san! Now c'mon!" He grabbed his sister and Aki's hands, dragging them to the attraction.

Crow and Jack watched the trio run off to their destination. The two started to chat to pass the time while they waited for Aki, Rua, and Ruka to return. Despite all the arguing they had done that they, they were practically brothers, so they could have friendly conversations when they felt like not arguing. Not much later, Yusei returned from the bathroom.

Looking around, Yusei asked, "Where did Aki and the twins go?"

"They ran off to see one more attraction before we leave," Jack replied, crossing his arms as if in disagreement with their behavior.

"Shouldn't be long now, though," Crow replied, putting his hands behind his head, showing he was completely fine about the situation. "Aki went in there with them to make sure they don't take too long."

Yusei nodded at Crow's assessment, and sat down on the wooden bench with his oldest friends. The trio continued to talk about random topics, from dueling to current work problems. However, time began to pass, and five minutes turned into ten, ten to fifteen, fifteen to twenty, and the men took notice.

"Where are they?" Jack growled, growing slightly irritated. "Izayoi said she'd make sure they didn't take too long."

"Maybe she got distracted and lost track of time," Crow suggested. He didn't really mind being late to his job. They could handle a one-time tardy from Crow the Bullet.

"There they are," Jack said, a hint of relief in his voice. His amethyst eyes narrowed slightly as he took in the sight in front of him. "But where's Izayoi?"

The two other Signers looked where Jack's gaze was, and saw two turquoise heads running quickly towards them. Their anxious expressions caused a small seed of worry to bloom within Yusei's stomach. Aki wasn't anywhere near them.

"Yusei! Jack! Crow!" Rua called in an apprehensive voice as he and Ruka ran towards the older boys.

"What's wrong?" Crow asked as the twins approached. "Where's Aki?"

Rua and Ruka paused to regain their breath, and Rua suddenly looked up with a fearful expression. "She's been trapped!"

"What!" the trio cried, immediately bolting to their feet.

"What do you mean, she's been trapped?" Jack yelled at the boy, unable to keep his voice down in this situation.

"Calm down, Rua!" Ruka cried, and the boys were surprised by her calm look. "You're exaggerating because the holograms in there scared you as we were running out."

Rua expression grew slightly annoyed; ignoring the older Signer's confused looks. "I wasn't scared!"

"And neither is Aki-san," Ruka replied. She turned to Jack, Crow, and Yusei to explain the situation to them. "We were walking around in the attraction, and they had an interesting effect of making it look like duel monsters would pop out at us when we were inside. Rua and I ran ahead to look at a very convincing Power Tool Dragon, when we suddenly heard Aki-san scream. We turned around, and at the last second, we saw Aki-san being pulled into the wall."

"You know," Rua interrupted, "I think it was actually a hologram of Mystic Box."

"Now's not the time, Rua!" she snapped, causing Rua to wince and mutter an apology. She sighed, but looked back at Yusei and the others. "Anyways, we went back to where she was, but it wouldn't open for us. We kept calling for Aki-san when she finally responded, saying she was behind a trap door, and it might be stuck. And after that, she just told us to go get you guys." She turned around to glare at Rua. "She wasn't worried, Rua, so don't go around making everyone else more concerned than they need to be."

"Aww, but c'mon, sis!" he cried with indignation. "You were worried too! Don't you think it's a bit freaky that she was suddenly dragged in, but we couldn't find the switch and make it turn around for us?" He crossed his arms with a thoughtful expression on his face. "Jeeze, you just didn't get that chill from inside the House of Mirrors. That's why you're not as worried."

Yusei's eyes widened as understanding dawned on him. "She's at the House of Mirrors?"

The group turned around, surprised by Yusei's sudden outburst. "Yeah," Crow replied in a normal voice, now soothed by Ruka's story. "Didn't we tell you?"

"What difference does it make?" Jack scoffed, eyeing Yusei's distressed expression. "It's a House of Mirrors. Should Izayoi have any reason to be weary of those places?"

Yusei's cobalt eyes met Jack's amethyst ones with an intense stare. "Yeah," he replied, turning his gaze to meet everyone else's. "A House of Mirrors is where she dueled Misty back when we were fighting the Dark Signers." The group's eyes widened slightly in surprise, recalling and realizing the connection Aki had with this attraction. Yusei berated himself internally. Why hadn't he realized?

"_Well, I've been to one once, but at the time, I wasn't really going there to enjoy the rides and attractions…"_

"The House of Mirrors is where she realized first-hand Divine's intentions," he said solemnly, turning his back to the others. "I'll go find her; you guys can stay here." And with that, he took off towards the House of Mirrors, similar to how he had two years before.

"Hey! Yusei, wait!" Crow cried out, but it was in vain. Yusei had already run off farther than his voice could reach him. "Jeeze," Crow muttered, scratching the back of his head. He didn't even get the chance of convincing Yusei to let them come. Then again, it wasn't like Aki was in danger of dying. "Yusei and his saving people complex…"

"It's how he's always been," Jack replied to Crow's musings, crossing his arms again before sitting back down. They would let Yusei handle it. It wasn't even that big of a deal, really. "Although, it's obvious he tends to get a bit obsessive with it whenever it comes to Izayoi."

Ruka seemed to think about something deeply for a moment, before asking, "Do you think when they come back they'll finally be a couple?" Rua's eyes widened at his sister's question, turning swiftly on her.

"What?" he cried, obviously surprised by the idea. "What do you mean?"

Ruka's sigh was echoed by Crow's facepalm. Jack's simply shook his head at the oblivious young boy. "Rua, I swear… Sometimes, you can be so dense…"

* * *

><p>And that's chapter one! =3<p> 


	2. The New Girl in the Mirror

**~Revelations in the Mirror: Part II~**

Aki wondered vaguely if there was some truth to the superstition of breaking mirrors, because she seemed to have the worst luck when it came to this kind of place.

When Rua had mentioned the amusement park, she had no quarrels with the idea. She knew that she and Misty had made up and she shouldn't let past memories haunt her decisions of making new memories. Aki had an excellent amount of tolerance when dealing with connections to painful memories. She went back to Duelist Academy, didn't she? When Rua had asked to go to the House of Mirrors, she decided to go, regardless of the fact that, at a parallel amusement park, she had almost killed Misty because an old flame of hers tried to force her into being a deadly weapon.

However, Aki would be lying if she said that when she first came into the place, she wasn't a tad distressed. The sudden appearance of duel monsters reminded her a little too much of her training at the Arcadian Movement, and she actually found herself wishing that she had her duel disk. She had calmed the urge quickly, however, by exercising her self-control and reminding herself of the fact that the twins were right in front of her, and that the monsters were only holograms, not real ones conjured by other Psychic Duelists.

But then she had seen it in one of the mirrors. A humanoid duel monster dressed in a futuristic outfit with a staff and a shield, shining in its sea green, aquamarine, and golden glory. It was Psychic Android, one of Divine's Syncro Monsters. She tried to brush off the sudden wave of familiarity and eeriness that emanated from the hologram, but when it waved a finger towards her, beckoning her to come closer, the waves became a tsunami, and she felt her heart pick up in fear.

She had tried to calm herself by telling herself it was only part of the attraction as she walked forward towards it, as if trying to prove her nerves wrong. It smiled at her, and she took steady breaths as she inched closer. Finally, face to face with the android, its smile broadened and it placed its hand against the mirror. Aki mimicked it, and suddenly, the air around her moved quickly, causing her to let out an instinctive scream out before she found herself in a room that was completely surrounded in mirrors.

Aki had taken very deep breaths while placing her hand on her chest, feeling her rapid heart flutter. After a few moments, her heart slowed to a normal rate, and she heard the twins calling for her name. With the most soothing voice she could manage, she promised them that she was okay, and sent them to retrieve the others and get her out of there.

Now, she waited patiently for Yusei and the others, examining her reflection in the mirrors. She saw herself reflected perfectly. She was adorned in her new ivory and magenta blouse with a matching skirt that she had worn today in change of her usual Victorian styled outfit. Looking back towards her reflection, she realized Yusei was right about her hair growing longer, because it seemed to have made progress in its growth since the last time she checked.

"_Your hair is getting longer..."_

Aki's breath caught painfully, because she knew that voice almost better than anyone's, and it wasn't Yusei's. Her pupils dilated as she focused on what was behind her reflection. To her relief, there wasn't anyone behind her. She was imagining things. That couldn't be his voice. He was dead, and she was probably just deluding herself into hearing it because she was reminded of him so much today, more than she had been in months.

"_I think I liked it shorter…"_

Hey eyes widened in disbelief, and she looked at the surround mirrors hastily, but only saw her fearful reflection wherever she turned. Alright, she was going crazy. That was actually a more comforting thought than… than…

"_Behind you, Aki."_

Aki swallowed dryly, half of her not wanting to obey to the voice, the other half fighting for the ability to turn her head around and look to see. Eventually, she succumbed to the strong urge, and turned around, and gasped softly as tears welled up in her eyes.

Impossible. She shook her head, hands upon her mouth, as she took in the sight of the crimson locks, the velvety green eyes, the tall, calm and assured posture—

Divine.

Logic whispered in her brain. Divine was dead. Divine didn't matter anymore. Divine wasn't who she thought he was.

Her eyes screamed at her: _He's right in front of you!_

"_Why the long face, Aki?"_ Divine cooed, as he stepped towards her. He frowned as Aki took a step backwards in response. He let out a light laugh. _"I thought you'd be glad to see me."_

She didn't want to respond. Responding would mean she was giving into this madness. She blinked back the tears. Why had tears formed? Wasn't he a child murderer, the one who killed Toby? Wasn't he the one who used her, played with her heart? Wasn't he the one who had tried to use her to kill Misty?

And yet…

Wasn't he the one to accept her? Wasn't he the one who had given her a home, a place she could return to without the fear of being judged or called a monster? Wasn't he the one who took care of her, no matter what his intentions were?

His existence was invaluable to her. That's what she had told Yusei, so long ago, right after their second duel when he had opened her eyes and her heart, when Mikage had shown them the clips of Divine's sadistic tests and experiments. He was the reason why she still wore her hair clip. Not because she needed it to control her powers. It was the only thing she had left of Divine. He had given it to her as a gift, and she couldn't bring herself to throw it away.

"Well," she finally responded, after deciding that if she was going insane, she might as well do it thoroughly. It helped calm her, knowing Divine really wasn't in front of her, somehow returning from the grave once again. "I would be half-lying if I said I wasn't." She looked in his vermillion colored eyes, and felt thoroughly glad that she didn't feel the familiar emotions of admiration and longing when she stared into them. "But I can't say I'm that same girl who was ready to cry when I saw you during my duel with Misty."

Divine's eyebrows raised in response to her statement. _"Why is that?" _He smiled gently at her, and Aki couldn't help wonder sourly if her figment of imagination was acting. She knew now that she really was imagining it. Logic had returned fully. Divine was dead. When this vision of Divine spoke, his words echoed around her ears like her thoughts— soundless. _"You know I would never hurt you, Aki," _he replied, stepping forward to stroke her cheek.

Aki allowed him to move towards her, and she crossed her arms at his statement. He had hurt her; deeply enough that she was still having delusions about him. She wondered what would happen when he tried to touch her. Would she feel it? Or would it only go through her? When Divine finally performed the act, she realized it was a mixture. It wasn't the flesh-on-flesh contact she remembered, of course not, but it felt like a gentle breeze brushed against her cheek, and she couldn't help but think that her odd mind state that enabled her to make duel monsters come to life might have something to do with it.

"_It's been so long," _the Divine image whispered, and it seemed as if he were truly tortured by their distance apart. _"I thought I might never see you again…"_

"To be honest, Divine, I thought the same," she replied, although her voice didn't hold any hint of the love, real or fake, he had in it. Just a steady tone that suggested she was completely fine with talking to an illusion. "I thought you were dead."

"_Aki, Aki, Aki…" _his image replied, chuckling as if amused by her lack of faith. _"I am dead. Well, metaphorically, of course. But part of my spirit remains with you. In here." _He pointed to her clip, and in her reflection (where only Aki was standing), she saw that her power inhibitor was glowing with an interesting green aura. _"When you finally considered getting rid of this power inhibitor, I would appear. Think of me as… a memory."_

He was really here then, so to speak? She didn't dwell on the idea too much and let her thoughts focus on a different idea. Divine had planted another mind trick on Aki. At least this time it didn't have her turning into her sadistic Black Rose Witch persona and her almost killing someone without her own knowledge nor intention.

"_Now Aki,…"_ Divine's smile turned slightly wicked, and Aki realized with a slight start that she had seen that smile many times before. She wondered guiltily if she had ignored the sense of evil it held when she was still with Divine, or that she had never realized it because it was the same wicked smile she had once worn when she caused her opponents pain. _"Have you decided on leaving that idiotic team of yours to finally carry out our dreams? Are you going to unite Psychic Duelists to show this cruel world the potential we have as outcasts? Will you make them pay for me?"_

Her jaw clenched at Divine's callous words about her family and his deluded dream of her destroying the world in his memory. "I would never."

Divine's eyes flashed with anger, and his façade of friendliness disappeared instantly. _"Then why were you thinking about removing the clip?"_

She reached into the small black bag that Rua and Ruka had given her, and pulled out the headband and showed it to him. With a faint sense of amusement, she replied, "I was thinking about changing my hairstyle because I don't need my power inhibitor."

The figment of Divine stared at her in disbelief for a few moments, before throwing his head back, laughing loudly. _"My my," _he exclaimed, looking at Aki with an amused expression that she met with a skeptical expression. _"Those Signer friends of yours have taught you a sense of humor! I didn't realize that your boyfriend could even laugh."_

Aki grimaced at Divine's word choice of Yusei. Coarse words she could handle, but boyfriend? Funny how the word she wanted to call Yusei was the word that hurt her the most when Divine said it. "Divine," she called, after he had calmed himself from his maniac fits of laughter. She wondered how he would take this, if he really were a piece of Divine's spirit that chose her hair clip to reside in. "I don't have psychic powers anymore."

Divine stared at her in obvious disbelief. She continued, "My destructive powers disappeared months ago. I can't summon any monsters to harm anyone."

"_You're lying,"_ he rebutted, an angry expression forming in his face. _"Aki, I've felt your powers. You summoned Black Rose Dragon, and it obeyed your command flawlessly, like it always has." _A grin stretched across his face, giving him the look of madness as he stared Aki down. _"Like it always will."_

The red-haired Signer was slightly disturbed by the fact that he was quite literally a part of her still. His spirit resided in her hairclip, and apparently her thoughts were felt by his spirit. He had heard her soundless command to Black Rose Dragon to protect Crow and Sherry when Aki herself wasn't aware of the conscious thought. She wondered why she was not disgusted by the fact that she held a murderer within her head, but she decided it had to do with the fact that she would always be grateful to Divine. She didn't forgive him for using her. She wouldn't forgive him for destroying the bond between a brother and a sister. And she could never forgive him for playing with her heart.

But that didn't mean she hated him.

It just meant it was time to let go.

She raised her hand to her hairclip, and saw Divine visibly tense when she touched it. _"What are you doing?"_ he asked, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion at her actions.

"I'm proving to you, Divine, that the powers you knew are gone."

And with a familiar jerk, she twisted the clip out of her hair, and her magenta locks fell out, covering her face efficiently due to their length. But this was different than any other time she had performed this act. There was no sudden appearance of fierce gales around her. Any emotions she felt were not amplified. She didn't have the urge the hurt anyone. An aura of calmness surrounded her, not an angry, bright magenta one.

She was still in control when she smiled at the shell-shocked Divine.

"I know you never wanted me to reach this point, where I could control my powers even without my clip. Still…" she looked into his pine green eyes, knowing that this was the last time she would ever be haunted by him. His spirit would fade away now that she had decided her path.

"_Still, what?"_ Divine snarled, his body shaking with rage at Aki's betrayal. Always, always, always. Why couldn't he have his precious black rose, no matter what he did? Why couldn't his Jeanne d'Arc work for his dream while he was gone? Didn't she love him? Surely those feelings hadn't disappeared, despite that annoying pest, Yusei Fudo, attempts.

"I'm grateful to you Divine." Aki wore such a sincere expression, that Divine's rage was lost for a brief moment. He had never seen this girl with such a serene look. "You may have used my for your own agenda, you may have never loved me, and you may have killed so many people without remorse, but that doesn't change the fact that I was happy."

She kept eye contact as she tried to pour out everything she felt before he disappeared for good. She didn't need to duel him to let him know what was inside of her heart. Maybe that was one thing Divine would always be better than Yusei in: knowing what she was thinking. Only he could tell exactly what she was thinking. He had manipulated her perfectly because of it, hadn't he? "I was really, really happy that someone had accepted me, Divine. You accepted me with open arms, and I felt saved. I loved you."

His shocked expression morphed into one of disbelief. _"Loved?"_ he asked, not believing his ears. Past tense. For some reason, the loss of her love unsettled him deeply. Surely she still…?

Aki shook her head with a sad smile on her face. She looked back at him, tears beginning to fill her vision and change the man she used to love into a blurry figure. "I _used_ to love you. But… things change Divine." And here, her tears began to cascade down her cheeks at the sadness of change and loss. There were so many different ways things could have gone. Maybe they could have been together in a dark, twisted love, but this is where life had taken her. "Time passes and people change. I've found a new love. I've found a new home, a new family, and a new purpose in life."

She was still beaming at him as she continued. She would be strong so that she could show him how much of a better person she had become. "I'm so happy now Divine. I've never been so happy in my entire life." Her speech halted momentarily when Divine gave a snarl of outrage.

"_Liar!"_ he cried as he took on an angry march around her. _"How could you possibly be happy? Are your really that much of a monster, Aki?" _She flinched visibly at his harsh words, and he relished the fact that he could still affect her in some sort of way. He continued his rant, sneering as he tried to assault her with words. _"How can you live and be, as you say, happy, knowing the past that you've had? Knowing the pain you've caused others simply for the fun of it?" _He halted in front of her, chest heaving from his angry outburst, waiting for her reply.

She knew this was coming. She had asked herself the same infuriating questions so many times that she already knew the answer. Calmly, she responded, "I know that I've done terrible things, no matter what Yusei or the others try to tell me. I can't change the past, Divine." At his name, the psychic seemed to have calmed down a bit. "But every time I'm with them, I feel like I'm slowly being forgiven. I feel like I have a second chance to do good things for the world Divine.

"I can heal, Divine," Aki declared, exultation in her voice. "Can you believe it?" His enlarged eyes and open mouth told her that he couldn't. He never heard of such a thing. She took a deep breath to steady herself, and after a few moments, she was able to smile proudly with her chocolate brown eyes shining when she said, "I have a second chance at life, Divine. I want to make the best of it, and I'm not going to let my past stop me any longer."

Aki wiped her eyes dry, and the first time since she began her sentimental speech, she gazed at Divine with a dismal expression. "I just… I just wished that you would accept that. I wish…" She closed her eyes and shook her head, as if trying to get rid of the silly thoughts. "I wish… you would be happy for me, Divine, no matter what I did."

There was silence, and Aki reopened her eyes and saw that Divine was gone. She smiled sadly. She knew he wouldn't approve. He hadn't loved her. He hadn't cared for her. But that didn't matter; she had her say, and at least she was finally going to be able to move on. She pulled out the black bag again, and replaced the headband with her power inhibitor. With a deep sigh, she turned back to the mirror and saw her hair in a disheveled state, due to her abrupt action with her clip. Aki stared at the hair accessory, knowing what it would mean this time.

The psychic placed it on top of her head and pushed her bangs backward. Aki frowned slightly at her reflection; her bangs have always been longer than the back of her hair, and now the difference was noticeable. She was going to have to get a haircut.

Still. When Aki looked in the mirror, she didn't see the Black Rose Witch. Once upon the time, she hated looking at her reflection. Every glance only brought up a horrible memory like when her father had called her a monster or when she had harmed one of her dear friends. Now, she saw a new person. She saw a free woman who had a chance at living life however she pleased.

She was finally free.

"Aki? Aki!" a voice called, and this was the one voice Aki could recognize better than Divine's. The deep, masculine voice was something that had often haunted her after their first duel, along with his determined azure gaze. His voice brought her back to reality once again. She had forgotten that she was trapped in the mirror house, let alone that she was in an amusement park. A pang of guilt hit Aki and marred her ecstasy; how long had she been here? She probably made Crow late for work, along with worrying the others. She owed it to them to get out of here now.

"Yusei?" she yelled back, trying to figure out which was the mirror that had brought her inside here. "Can you hear me?" She heard shuffling behind one of the mirrors and travelled towards it. "Yusei?" she called again.

"Aki," he breathed, relieved to have finally found her. "Are you okay?" He rapped his knuckles on the mirror in front of him, and on the opposite side, Aki heard it.

"I'm fine, Yusei," she responded. "I'm on the other side. Is this where you are?" She knocked on the glass where Yusei had previously tapped, and he was able to define her location.

"Yeah. I'm guessing this is the door." He pushed against the mirror in hopes that it would budge, but it didn't move in the slightest. Yusei backed up some and rammed into the mirror, hoping that more sudden force would cause it to open; but once again, it stood, undisturbed by Yusei's attempts.

"Yusei, are you trying to ram the mirror down?" Silence reached Aki's ears as a form of response, and she sighed, almost exasperated. "Do you realize the trouble you could get in if you break this mirror? Yusei, don't run at the darn thing, because, I swear, if you hurt yourself from glass, I am going to-"

But Aki didn't have time finish, because what she thought was embarrassed silence from Yusei was really him ignoring her and figuring a way out to open the door. He seemed to have found the switch, because in one swift moment, the glass Aki was leaning up against spun around quickly again, and she found herself under gravity's wrath as she fell towards the floor. She closed her eyes in preparation for the fall, but quickly found herself within someone's warm arms.

Reopening her eyes, her eyes painted the picture of her reflection being held by Yusei. She felt her heart pick up pace again as she inhaled his scent, numbing her senses of everything but him. She was highly aware of how close they were and her reflection showed that her cheeks were burning a bright red. Aki racked her brain on how to breathe, but there was only one coherent thought that was left in her brain:

She wasn't lying to Divine when she said she found a new love.

"Are you okay, Aki?" Yusei asked, a few moments after he had steadied Aki. He took note of her red face, but didn't say anything about it.

Aki shook her head in an attempt to clear her scattered mind, and then attempted to give Yusei her best glare. She knew it wasn't at all effective when the corner of Yusei's mouth twitched into a small half-smile as he resisted an urge to laugh. Her irritation at his amusement helped her clear her head, and suddenly her glare became much more meaningful judging by the disappearance of Yusei's amused expression.

"You know, you could have warned me!" she scolded Yusei. She wasn't mad at him; not really. Maybe slightly annoyed, but that wasn't the real reason why she picked fights with him. It was interesting, fun even, to see Yusei's reactions to her heated comments. There was something special when they argued. It let her dig a little deeper into Yusei's heart.

"I didn't realize you were up against the glass," he replied smoothly, putting his hands in his pockets. She crossed her arms and muttered something under her breath that he didn't catch. Yusei blinked as he seemed to take in Aki's appearance. Her eyes were slightly red, as if she had been crying (an idea that didn't sit well with him), but there was a more noticeable difference. Her magenta hair was lacking her trademark power inhibitor that had been a popular topic today. "Your clip…" he muttered, looking back at Aki.

Yusei was suddenly taken off guard when he saw Aki smile at him. It wasn't because it seemed like her mood had switched with a flick of a wand. There was something completely different about her smile. He had always secretly thought her smile was a miracle to see, not only because of her outward beauty (although, it certainly didn't hurt the cause), but because it was amazing to see someone so innocent who had been through so much pain and suffering still have the strength to smile at the smallest things.

Now, however, it seemed as if a hidden chain that kept her bounded to the ground had been broken. Her smile radiated freedom and hope for a second chance, and looking at her, he felt that he finally understood. Yusei realized that Aki had defeated the inner demon of her past within the few moments she had been stuck in this House of Mirrors. She had found the strength to let go of her connection to Divine and was ready to really start a new life, letting nothing hold her back.

The Black Rose had finally blossomed fully into a flower like no other, with a beauty that shined so bright it made the stars weep in jealousy. Aki's smile was so infectious and warming; he couldn't help but smile softly at her, wordlessly showing how proud he was that she had finally freed herself on her own.

Without warning, Aki flung herself against Yusei. His eyes widened as he felt her arms wrap around his back, but he managed to return the hug after getting over his surprise. After a few moments, Yusei realized how enjoyable it was to have Aki in his arms. She radiated warmth and carried a heavenly aroma of her favorite flower, roses. Her presence had introduced him into a sense of peace never known before he had held her.

For Aki, she felt like she like a little girl again, when her father had simply held her and cooed I love you's into her ear before he left her bedroom and before he had a busy senator life; however, there was a recognizable change. It was Yusei holding her, not her father, and that made a world of a difference. She still felt the complete sense of security, but the peacefulness of their moment seemed to have stopped the Earth's rotation. She closed her eyes, perfectly content in Yusei's arms, lost in her euphoria. She whispered as quietly as she could in order not to disturb the harmony of the moment. Holding Yusei tighter, she expressed her sentiments with joyful tears in wetting her eyelashes:

"Thank you for everything, Yusei."

He returned the pressure of her hug as he spoke, holding her even closer.

"Nothing makes me happier than to help you, Aki."

* * *

><p>The two exited the House of Mirrors, hand-in-hand with the excuse of not wanting to be separated again within the attraction. Aki was surprised to find that night had fallen. How long had she been in there, talking with the last remnant of Divine's spirit? Surely it wasn't that long. Perhaps it was her moment with Yusei, where neither of them could find the strength to let go of the precious moment that seemed to have lasted a lifetime. How she had made herself release him, she'll never know.<p>

"They're waiting for us over there," Yusei said, releasing Aki's hand to point to the entrance of the park. He tried to ignore how cold his hand felt the moment he had lost contact with Aki's. He had never been as aware of her and his feelings as he was today. Before, yes, he knew he had the tendency to be protective of her. He didn't want her to suffer any more pain after she had finally made her way out of the darkness. He wanted to watch over her, similar to a guardian angel, in order to make sure no harm would befall upon her. And if Yusei was completely honest, he wanted to be the one to do it, because he wasn't sure anyone else would put forth the effort he would be willing to if it meant protecting her.

But today, Yusei realized that his protective feelings for Aki might have grown into something stronger, and therefore, more confusing. How many times today had he caught himself staring in her direction while waiting in lines? Didn't he have an odd curiosity today to find out what rides Aki enjoyed and which ones she would dislike? He hadn't even noticed Crow's approach or anyone around them when he had gazed into her warm chocolate eyes when he was comforting her at lunch.

There was also that moment during the carnival games. When Crow had volunteered to win a gift for her after Ruka suggested the romantic implications of the gesture, Yusei knew he had acted instantly without thought. He had been fueled by the annoyed resentment he felt towards Crow when he had imagined, for a split second, the idea of Aki smiling happily towards his carrot-top haired friend_._ He had known at the time that it was wrong to feel that way towards Crow, his brother and lifelong friend, but it didn't stop him from being the one to present the Black Rose Dragon plush toy to Aki, with a wicked sense of accomplishment burning within him.

When Rua and Ruka informed the team how Aki was stuck at the attraction, it seemed that he was the only one who was overly concerned for her well-being. Perhaps he had even overreacted with the idea that Aki being in a House of Mirrors simply because he was worried she'd be reminded of a duel that had occurred about two years ago. She had come to the amusement park, hadn't she? Yet all the logic that Yusei usually carried him had flown out the window when his thoughts fixated themselves onto Aki. He couldn't control the anxious feeling he had felt when he had entered the House of Mirrors when looking for Aki. Every dead end he found himself only fueled that anxiety, as well as his determination to find her.

And when he had finally found her, he felt as if a great weight from his chest floated off into the air, finally giving him breathing space. Yusei had been willing to break a thousand mirrors if that was what it took to get her out, but luckily, that was the one time where he could control the powerful emotions that swirled around in his chest and find the switch. She had smiled at him, and although he knew they were making the others wait, the thought had been thrown to the wind when the two had shared the special moment that brought Yusei to his conclusion.

Yusei knew perfectly well that his behavior was not something that could be passed off as mere friendship. What once was the simple desire to help Aki because she was his friend had transformed into something even stronger, so strong, he didn't know how to act on it. He couldn't deny he had feelings for the claw Signer.

Yusei's attention was brought back to the present when Aki stopped abruptly, as if someone had called her name. He looked back to Aki, and saw her looking around for something.

"Aki," he called, and jolted, as if surprised by his voice. "What's wrong?"

"I…" Her gaze unfocused again, as if listening to something he couldn't hear. Suddenly she threw her hands to her mouth and tears began glistening in her eyes. Yusei was startled by this sudden change of expression, but before he could voice his concerns, Aki shook her head as her eyes became focused once again and said, "No, everything's fine." Apparently his expression echoed his skepticism, because Aki smiled once again before saying, "Really, Yusei. It's nothing. Come on, we've kept everyone waiting long enough."

He smiled at her, trusting her judgment. He could deal with these new feelings later. She was right; their friends were waiting. They walked in silence, left to their own thoughts.

While Yusei dwelled a little more on his newly discovered feelings, Aki resisted the strong urge to cry once again. She heard the voice, even if Yusei didn't. She never thought she would hear it say what it did, but it had, and she didn't think anyone could experience such bliss as she had over the past hour or so.

"_If that's your choice, Aki, I hope you find your happiness…"_

Time passes without any sense of remorse to those who are lost in the past. As time passes, things can change, for the better or for the worst. Bonds can either strengthen or weaken. Love can grow and die. But no matter what, life is what you make it. You can live it to the fullest extent, or you can grope for the things lost. Aki decided, from that point on, she would start living life to the best of her ability. She would find ways to experience the things she had yet to experience on her own now, not waiting for an invitation to jump at the chance. She would love with all her heart and dedicate herself to the one man next to her without the lingering feelings of doubt for her old mentor. She would give herself a reason to be able be proud of her reflection.

And maybe, just maybe… One day, she hoped that she could be held by Yusei once again and finally be able to call him her love and feel his own love in return.

If she could do that, then her life would truly be satisfied simply by the beautiful soul beside her.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Alright, that's it. =D If you stuck with me through this much, I certainly do hope you liked it. I did my best, but I'm still a bit iffy about Divine. He's a tough cookie, that villain...

A few notes. The title is kind of inspired by Mulan, my all-time favorite Disney movie, because I thought the whole "finding yourself" thing would fit here. =D

In the first chapter, I don't know if you guys usually find claw games in amusement parks, but the few I've been to have had some. And I'm actually pretty sure that Rua and Ruka _would_ have been tall enough to drive their own cars, but I wanted to have them ride with Yusei and Aki, and I figured a bit of comic relief would be fun. But I have once been unable to drive my own bumper car yet ride a rollercoaster at my amusement park. Weird place... =T

As for the second chapter, I feel like I didn't do Divine justice, but I did give him my complete effort. This whole fanfic was once again inspired while watching the anime, when I saw Aki without the clip for the first time. And yeah, this showed up. =D I feel like she has been trying to live, but I decided to play with the idea that she really hadn't been living without the shadows of her past.

This fanfic was actually a bit of an experiment for me. I still need to work on everyone's character. I'm know there's room for improvement, but I hope I did okay in this. I'd really love and suggestions to help me improve, so if you're willing to help me by dropping a review of your thoughts? But if you don't feel like it, I understand. =3 Thanks for reading! Have a good day~!

Oh, and my next one-shot is probably going to be a Sonic the Hedgehog one. I need to write for my natural fandom, despite the fact I've now written more fanfics for 5D's than STH, but anyways~ I will be coming back to 5D's. So... Yeah. Now you can leave. XD Again, thanks for reading! Bye~!


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